One Touch, One Kiss
by Yami Amethyst Rose
Summary: Serenity undergoes a mysterious ritual of which she is given the power of immorality and abilities of which is untainable to the comman man. Can she face her fears, or will the darkness control her heart and soul? SxS
1. Chapter 1

This story is going to take place during the start of the Battle City Finals, and I hope that this one should get me about fif

This story is going to take place during the start of the Battle City Finals, and I hope that this one should get me about fifty reviews. Please, I need some support from somebody! Also, please check my profile for a poll of my status of stories, and opinions do help. So, here's the start of One Touch, One Kiss!

_Chapter 1-The Balance of Power_

Staring into the bright night on top of the Kaiba Corporations blimp for the start of the Battle City finals, many seek to raise to the top as duel king. No one knew it would have to be a test in order to gain entrance to such an event hosted by the world's feared CEO and former champion of Kaiba Corp., Seto Kaiba. Yet, only eight duelists can come aboard this high luxury to attend to any dueling ring of which only the strongest duelist will stand tall and claim all three Egyptian God cards. Others who was not participants was to be left behind, but not on this trip.

Yugi Mutou, the yet to be called "King of Games" was one of the duelists who have intentions of retrieving all three God cards from the forces of evil of which he was warned about. Wearing the Millennium Puzzle around his neck, with his trusted dueling alter ego Yami, nothing was going to get in the way of saving the world from darkness. He was also one of the duelists who has claimed one of the God cards, named Silfer the Sky Dragon.

Joey Wheeler, a third-rate duelist who is called a mutt by a certain person, was another who qualified for the finals. Dueling to prove his appearance, his most greatest support comes from his friends and of all importance, his sister Serenity, who just out of the hospital after she removed her bandages from her eye surgery. It was always something about him that was very lucky, which most of his duels rely on. Being Yugi's best friend, Joey also have someone on his hit list when he was forced to duel his own best friend in a duel to the death. If his sister haven't saved him at the time that the anchor was reaching down to the bottom, he would have drowned.

Others duelists included the beautiful, yet sexy Mai Valentine, the mysterious Ryou Bakura, the zealous Odion who was disguised as his master Marik, Namu of which was the real Marik Isthar, who wealds the Winged Dragon of Ra, the hidden concealed duelist who was none other than Ishizu Isthar, and of course the top CEO of Kaiba Corporations and host of the Battle City tournament Seto Kaiba, holder of Obelisk the Tormentor . The supporters were of course the young, cute Mokuba Kaiba, the friendship cheerleader Tèa Gardener, Joey's fighting sidekick Tristan Taylor, the creator of Dungeon Dice Monsters Duke Devilin, Joey's number one supporter Serenity Wheeler, and her young childhood friend Maria Shores.

Now, all of them where in the briefing room of where the duelists were chosen to face another on top of a dueling arena above the blimp. Joey, being the eater that he was born to be, just stated to grabbing plates of food and heading back to his friends, but not after hearing how Bakura actually got into the finals, and yet creeping him out. Tèa and Mai were chatting about girl stuff and also about who was Mai going to face in the finals, Tristan and Duke, being themselves, were arguing about who was going to flirt with Serenity, and rest were just waiting on the announcements of the first duel.

"Serenity, do you really let your brother control your love life?" Maria asked. "Seriously, one day he'll go busting through your wedding and fight your fiancé."

"Joey's just protecting me, Maria." Serenity said. "Besides, can't you feel that someone out there is looking for your heart?"

"I'm still looking, Serenity." Maria said. "Just wait. Someday, my knight in shining armor will come for me."

"I'm just fifteen. I don't know who will take a young, scrawny girl like me." Serenity said. "What's the point, Maria? Face it. No guy will ever take me just because I'm not their type of skill."

"Do not talk that way, Serenity!" Maria said. "There are thousands of boys who will take you!"

"Yeah, when I get implants." Serenity sighed.

"Attention, all participating duelists. We are starting the random selection for the Battle City finals. As you know, you have all been given a number when you boarded the blimp and it has been recorded in this lottery machine, of which will deposit one number after the next. Once your numbers have been displayed, report to the top of this blimp for your duel. Also this is a random drawing, meaning it can be anyone facing anybody in this process of elimination."

'Well, this screws me up. Now how am I going to face that damn Marik?' Joey thought.

'A random drawing? That means there's a small chance that Marik will get to face Joey or Mai. Not to mention that Kaiba does have Obelisk, and defeating him will bring one step closer to conquering the world.' Yugi thought.

'I will get the chance to take down Yugi once and for all, then when I claim his God card, I'll head straight for Marik next for his Winged Dragon of Ra. Then, I will become the greatest duelist ever known!' Seto thought.

"Random?!" Maria said. "Hey, Kaiba! We could have played Straws instead of this shit?!"

"But, Maria..." Tèa said. "That game is even older than the lottery!"

"Random drawing equals lottery...and Serenity knows how testy I get when I even the tiniest hint of the lottery being said?!" Maria shouted.

"It's true..." Serenity said. "Every time the lottery gets called in, she always have her name on every entry card, yet she loses and goes on a rampage. It happens every two months in our school."

'Then, remind me never to bring her to bingo.' Tristan thought.

"The first number is up...Duelist Number Five: Ryou Bakura!"

"What? Me??" Ryou asked.

'Oh man...I hope that I don't get to face Ryou with that mysterious deck of his.' Joey thought.

"And the second duelist for the first round of the Battle City and will be facing Ryou Bakura...is Duelist Number Three: Yugi Mutou!"

Later, in the midst of the duel...

Yugi, who was now Yami in the entire duel, was ahead of Bakura by 2100 LP. Bakura, on the other hand, had the field advantage with Fiend Sanctuary on the battlefield and causing damage with each Battle Phase. However, Mother Nature decided to mess with the duel. When Yami drew his next card, the winds started to pick up speed, and rapidly the clouds began to fill with thunder, causing the standby to be aware of the lightning. Mai held her skirt down for certain reasons of which all women should know.

"Joey, I'm scared." Serenity said.

"Serenity, didn't we had this talk before?" Maria asked. "Quit asking your brother to control your decisions?!"

"Quit being a brother-hater, bitch!" Joey said.

"Then, quit being in your sister's life, asshole!" Maria retorted.

'Not again...' Serenity thought.

Then, something happened...

I'll leave it at that! Sorry if I haven't updated most of my stories, but trust me, I'll have some updates before I leave for vacation! So, R&R people!


	2. Chapter 2

Sorry if I didn't get to update as I promised, but I'll have this chapter and others up before I leave Friday morning. So, here's the second chapter of One Touch, One Kiss!

_Chapter 2-An Angel's Power_

Where we last saw our special group of duelists and supporters, Yami was about to draw his next card when Mother Nature decided to play in this little tournament. The winds picked up tremendously, hurling small debris around the whole city and people started to head inside. The blimp was in the middle of the storm, holding its' ground while the passengers were, of course holding towards their lives. Being like above four thousand feet was not a good place to be, especially due to the weather. Around in the clouds was a mysterious person holding a glowing gem in her arms, while running away from some strange creatures that was after it.

Joey and Maria, who was arguing about Serenity's welfare, suddenly stopped when the lightening started to roar. Everyone else was holding the rails on the dueling platform since the winds were increasing at a rapid rate. Bakura, even though having intentions of finishing Yami off, also held onto his life. The lightening intensified as the winds went up to eighty miles per hour. Mai was still holding down her skirt with one hand, Tristan and Duke were having a grip around Tèa and Maria, while Joey held Serenity with one arm. Namu went on the metal platform, and the Kaiba brothers took the rails into each other's hands, hoping to not lose themselves in the strong current.

"Kaiba!! You should have looked over the weather, you asshole!" Mai shouted.

"There was nothing about a storm, Valentine?!" Seto yelled. "Now, quit yelling, you bitch?!"

'When this storm passes, I am SO killing his ass!' Mai thought, murderously.

The debris was getting bigger by the minute, when a medium-sized, rough rock picked itself from the winds and colliding into Serenity's head. The impact was so great, that Serenity started to lose balance, causing her to lose the grip that Joey had on her and wobbling herself near the edge of the blimp. Tristan and Joey tried desperately to get her, but the winds were way too strong and caused the whole ship to rock side to side, sending Serenity to where the Kaiba brothers were docked, falling to what she thinks was her death.

Or was it?

The mysterious person, who was being pursued by the strange creatures, saw the young girl falling down. With the gem in her possession, she rushed to the scene in secrecy, where a giant flash of lightening replaced the storm, the winds still growing strong.

"This young girl has a pure heart and soul. If I keep this gem any longer, I cannot be able to shake off my pursuers at this rate. The Soul Crystal must be placed inside this girl at all costs. By my power of divinity, and towards the crescent light meteor, I placed the crystal within this young, pure girl. If she reveal the crystal's powers to any person who heart is corrupted by power, then her life force will be drained the more she uses it. The power of immortality, ability to copy a person's move, and see into a person's future is now under her possession. Until my pursuers leave this planet, I shall return to retrieve my family heirloom."

The light from the lightening faded as the storm came into an end, with the person leaving the scene along with the pursuers. The winds died along, as Serenity couldn't be able to pull herself from the edge, but someone else did. Once the blimp was set back to course, Joey and the others who weren't on the dueling platform rushed to the edge of where Serenity had fallen. Seto had pulled her up once the winds started to die, but didn't want to start an idiotic fight with Joey, if kept yelling at him for being near his sister. The impact from the rock that hit her on the head made her unconscious and feeling blue.

"Seren!! Wake up!" Joey said. "Somebody get the doc!"

"Let's just take her there instead?!" Maria shouted. "It's useless to call the medical team here if that damn storm comes back again!"

"Maria's right, you know." Tèa said. "If the storm comes up again, our only medics will be gone."

"Fine! But, I ain't talking to that bitch!" Joey said.

"That does it!?" Maria yelled. "When Serenity gets inside the ward, I am SO kicking your ass outside!?"

"Bring it on!!" Joey said.

'_Joey...Who saved me?'_

Someone's certain eyes averted to Serenity, and why was he interested was beyond him...

R&R, people!


	3. Chapter 3

I hate school! It is so killing at this point, and it's only the end of the first semester! When I get out of school, I am so going to have enough time to write my stories! So, here's the third chapter of One Touch, One Kiss!

_Chapter 3-A Simple Change of Interest_

After the windy storm went past the blimp and disappeared, Serenity was brought to the ward since she went into contact with an object that caused her to be unconscious in the first place, with Seto Kaiba saving her from her death. He still ordered Yami and Bakura to finish their duel before they went to check on Serenity, but Yami argued that she was her friend's sister. Seto refused to end the duel, with Tèa starting one of her friendship rants, but his initial response to her rants was this:

"SHUT THE FUCK UP, AND VISIT YOUR FALLEN FRIEND, BITCH!!"

Tèa scrammed before Seto lost all sanity within him. Yami, clearly did not want to start on his rival's rage, resumed the duel while Joey and the rest were at Serenity's bed while she recovered from the collision of the storm. Maria, however, started another argument with Joey about not letting his own sister make decisions of her own and that he wouldn't thank the guy who saved her. Joey retaliated that she was just jealous because she was an only child, and the fact that she didn't find the person that saved Serenity. Maria, infuriated that he insulted her family, dragged him outside so that she would finally kicked his ass and teach him some respect! While the whole thing was going around, Yami finally won his duel, with him carrying Ryou to the medical center since he collapsed after the duel ended.

"What the hell is going on out here?" Yami asked, confused at the situation.

Maria was clearly holding Joey by the collar, with bruises already from the contact of her fists, and bite marks on her wrists courtesy of Joey. Tristan had a black eye from trying to break it up, along with Duke being unconscious on the ground. Tèa and Mai were behind the scene since they clearly didn't want to escalate the process, and poor little Mokuba was trying to cool everyone down before his now pissed off brother came.

"Nothing. Just teaching Blond Boy here a lesson in respect!" Maria said.

"Hey, you're the one who started the argument, bitch!" Joey shouted.

"Enough!" Yami said. "What about Serenity's condition?"

"Doctors are still working on her, Yugi. We don't know if she's okay or not." Tèa said.

"That storm was kind of random, anyway." Mai said. "Why would something like that show up in the middle of today? As I far as I know, the weather didn't say anything about a storm."

"I thought that he was summoning Silfer on the field." Mokuba said. "Guess not."

Inside the medical room, Serenity felt something different within her body, nor did she not know about who saved her from falling. It was all such a mystery to her, like the woman that came from the lightening storm, or that burning sensation in her heart. She suddenly woke up, jolting from the state she was in. Her head still hurt due to the impact of the debris that knocked her out cold, and her brother was nowhere to be seen around her, except for the constant yelling of him and Maria. It wasn't pain that woke her up, yet something strange was going to her vision. The doctors actually finished the x-ray scans of her body to find any broken bones, but didn't see anything wrong with her, other than the mark of where the debris hit.

Once she left the room, everyone stopped what they were doing.

"Seren!" Joey said. "Are you okay!? Is there any broken bones?!"

"No, I'm fine." Serenity said. "Although, my head hurts."

"Well, we're just glad you're alright." Mai said. "Yugi, take Ryou inside."

~Twenty minutes later, Intermission~

"Let's head to that no good Kaiba, so that we can land this blimp and get Ryou some help!" Joey said. "He clearly has the upper hand!"

"Don't get so hasty, Joey!" Yugi said. "For all we know, he could be anywhere."

Mai recently left the group, since this was none of her business to start with. Tèa volunteered to watch over Ryou in his room while the rest headed to find Seto. Maria, knowing that she'll start another fight with Joey, returned to his room for the rest of his storage food, leaving: Yugi, Joey, Serenity, Tristan and Duke to see him. Mokuba came from the corridors of the dueling arena above to see everyone outside his brother's room. Apparently, he was still pissed off from the friendship rant hat Tèa had to start.

"What are you guys doing?" Mokuba asked.

"Mokuba! Where is your brother?" Yugi asked

"He's in his room, preparing for the next duel." Mokuba said.

Joey instantly ran to the door and started to banged on the door rapidly, with Mokuba panicking not to do that or he'll disrupt Seto's concentration on the tournament. Joey ignored him and continued, until the door opened and reveal Seto standing close, causing Joey to stop what he was doing. This was clearly not the time for him to be bothered, since he was preparing for the tournament and still pissed off from earlier.

"What do you geeks want?" Seto said. "If you insist on disqualifying you from the tournament, allow me to do the honors. You're wasting your efforts and my time standing around here as it already is."

Joey was about to pummel Seto, until Tristan intervened to remind him of why they were here in the first place. Once Yugi explained the situation, Seto allowed them in, but refused to land the blimp in order for Ryou to receive medical attention. While the argument wasn't going anywhere, Serenity felt something different about her personality. She didn't feel like this since the storm, and when her eyes averted to Seto's, his cold personality somehow connected into hers, bringing shockwaves inside her brain and caused her to lose portions of the innocence she had. Knowing that she had to do something, she started to join in the argument by pleading Seto into landing, yet he looked at her and said nothing.

Suddenly, a sharp pain inflicted inside of her, and Serenity couldn't take it after he looked at her a second time. Once he called for a medical team, Serenity instantly collapsed while the Soul Crystal took part of copying almost everything that Seto had: from his skills to his personality. Joey was at her side, while Tristan and Duke were rushing to get some cold rags. Yugi was somewhat confused of Serenity's condition, as well as the storm that came earlier which delayed his duel. Two minutes later, Serenity woke up, but she felt dizzy to the fainting incident that occurred to her. Her head was spinning with confusion, and looked around to find that she was inside Mai's room.

"Hon, are you okay?" Mai asked. "Your brother was frantically calling for the doctors when you fainted in Kaiba's room. They were busy at the moment, so he and the others sent you to my room."

"I don't know, Mai." Serenity said. "These headaches are really getting out of hand."

"Just try to rest up, hon." Mai said.

However, when Serenity looked at Mai, the Soul Crystal reacted again, this time how Mai appeared. The reaction made her nauseous and Mai was getting confused at her actions, but didn't know that she was turning about three years younger. Serenity excused herself to the bathroom and ran like she never ran before. Once she was done, she looked at the mirror, wide eyed at the figure in the reflection. She looked like she grown two years older.

Her woman posture was enhanced: breasts were a little bigger, height was about near Yami's, hair was a little longer, and to top it all, weight was dropped about eleven to twelve pounds. When she checked the stalls, one of them held her own personal duel disk, and another possessed an outfit that surely brought out the potential of her new figure. She looked at the mirror again, with Seto's personality kicking in. The innocent face that which categorize her was now replaced with bitter, determination, and a habit to insult people. Once she fixed her hair to the desire length with accessories, putting on the outfit and acquired her duel disk with her customary deck, she looked at the mirror one more time and saw the transformation of a young, naïve girl; to a beautiful, young lady.

'I will prove my existence...today.' Serenity thought. 'But, why am I feeling this way? I want to know more about this.'

I'll end it there.

R&R, people!


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you for all the support of this story! I thought I was going to go insane if I didn't get anyone's attention. So, here's the fourth chapter of One Touch, One Kiss!

_Chapter 4-The Charm of a Angel_

Windy skies and cold currents made the next duel in the Battle City Finals a very tough one, considering the aftermaths of the storm were still present. Joey, even though worried about his sister's conditions, was starting another argument with Maria about eating the rest of his food while he was away. Maria told him that he pigged out earlier before Yugi's duel and that he was nothing but a fat bastard. Yugi, Duke, Tèa, Tristan, and Mokuba was trying to separate the two before things got really ugly. This didn't work at all, and the two were constantly insulting at each other's throats. Yugi turned into Yami and started to lectured both of them about the whole purpose of being here, but it still didn't work. It was hopeless until Mai came around and pulled Joey by the ear, which men should know that it is the worst kind of pain yet, second to none of being kicked in the groin.

Now, this was clearly the most confusion that the gang has seen. Originally, Mai was twenty-five years old, and now the womanly figure that attracted men all over the world has suddenly lost its luster. Everything on her body was shortened, from the point of her hair, to the bottom of her feet. Even her clothes didn't quite fit well towards this new body. When Mai noticed that everyone was staring at her, she took out a hand mirror, only to shriek with pure horror that her charm was gone. Joey, who was near her due to being pulled at the ear, covered them to protect his hearing.

"Wh...Wha...What happened to me!?" Mai stammered. "My beauty! My everything! Gone...just like that!!"

"We don't know, Mai." Tèa said. "Weren't you around Serenity at the time?"

"She went towards the bathroom." Mai said. "Said she was feeling nauseous after one look. I think something about that storm messed me up big time, and Serenity has been in worse conditions than before."

"Well, that storm did look suspicious to me." Yami said. "I don't how and when that storm appeared, but I know it was not around for a long time. Something had to cause it to go berserk just like that."

"Like a hurricane." Tèa said.

"Speaking of terms, what happened to Serenity?" Tristan asked. "You said that she was feeling nauseous! Why didn't you check up on her?"

"Hey, I was confused by her actions and besides, I'm in the tournament! Which means I have to get prepared for my duel!" Mai retorted.

"My baby sister might have caught something from that storm!" Joey said. "If Ma found out, she'll kill me!"

"This is all your fault!" Maria shouted. "You just had to let go of Serenity for your own safety, and this is the result! You should have been more careful!"

"Me!? What about you?!" Joey yelled.

The fighting that was ceased continued yet again, as all of the gang tried to break it up. It was tiring to see that the two people that Serenity cared the most were fighting over her life-story. In this case, you just let them actually get to a compromise and settled things there so that everyone else can get on with their lives. Well, the situation ended very different, 'cause it was at the same time that Serenity came into the room. Voices were dead silent, heads spun around, and eyes were locked on to the angel that was invisible within the crowd. Joey, whose face turned white at the girl he knew as his sister, was completely speechless. Even Seto Kaiba was astonished at the girl that he knew nothing about, and yet she appeared with an appearance that appealed to his tastes. However, Serenity was still related to the mutt, and he wouldn't bring himself to fall in love with her. Oh, Seto...If only you knew.

"Ser...Serenity?" Tèa asked. "Is that really you?"

"And if I was?" Serenity said. "I wouldn't bring myself to your level, you nagging bitch!"

"Serenity!" Joey shouted. "Don't talk to Tèa like that! Now, apologize!"

"Don't tell me what to do, monkey." Serenity said. "Decisions are on my terms, and I really don't see your name in my life book."

"MONKEY!?!?!" Joey yelled. He was furious at Serenity's new attitude, and was sure as hell confused along with the others. They knew that she wasn't like this before, and never knew that the Soul Crystal played a huge part of changing her personality. Seto was impressed by Serenity's actions and had really taking a liking towards her. He also spotted the duel disk around her arm, and somehow thought that she was the eighth duelist in disguised. He didn't even care to hear the shouting of a certain blonde to finish his thoughts.

'Serenity wasn't even like this before that storm!' Yami thought.

'_Could that storm really had an effect on Serenity? I mean, she's the nicest person we known, other than Ryou. How could she changed her personality so quick? Not to mention that her appearance has also changed!'_

'Yugi, do you think that something had to be in that weather that caused this? This can't be the work of Marik, because I know that the Millennium Items would not reach this far. Think: the fainting incident, nauseous, change in everything including her appearance, and now we have her wearing a duel disk! How did she get one of those anyway?'

'_Let's wait until the end of this part of the tournament to ask Ishizu about this. There has to be an explanation to this.'_

'Alright, then.'

Serenity didn't even care about what Joey thought about her. All she wanted is a chance to shut him up and show him of who is the boss around the family. Just then, Tristan and Duke, who was always fighting for her heart, came towards her with a bouquet of flowers. Where they got it from will never be told, for decades and decades. She looked at them with the official death glare similar to what Seto gives to people if they got on his nerves or is pissed off. She took both of the bouquets and threw them to the ground, stomping with fierce anger, shocking both her friends and the Kaiba brothers.

"Let's get something straight, you two." Serenity said. "I have never, and will not be interested in you for the rest of my damn life. You two have been constantly fighting for my heart the minute I got out of the hospital, and you don't even fucking care about my feelings! Tristan, I know you been flirting with me any chance you got and I hate that shit you said about you being the person that trained my idiotic brother to play Duel Monsters! Duke, I barely know you, and don't think I heard about that asinine bet you made to my brother. Stay out of my fucking life, or I will personally make your living lives hell. Am I clear, assholes?"

Tristan and Duke were speechless. Serenity had stolen their dignity, and their pride. The rest were shocked, but this made Seto even more impressed with her personality. It reminded him of, well...himself. He threatens, insults, and creates fear towards people that he felt good about his day, and not even once had Seto been attracted to a woman in his personal life. Tonight was special, seeing the sister of the mutt be elusive, sexy, and...wait a minute. Since when did he thought that she was sexy? His hormones was messing with his head as the argument was ending once the announcement of the second duel has begun. The selection was between Joey and Odion, who was disguised as Marik. Once they were confirmed, everyone headed up to the second duel in the quarterfinals of the Battle City tournament.

'Did I really just say that?' Serenity thought. 'Why? Why is this happening to me? But, that actually felt good. Wait, this is wrong! What is this power I'm feeling just now? I'm already feeling guilty!'

"Way to go, Serenity!" Maria said. "You show that damn brother of yours whose boss around here!"

"Yeah..." Serenity said. "Well, let's go see him duel already. I have a headache as of now."

"Okay."

R&R, people!

Note-Sorry, if I was slow on updating. Busy things, you know.


	5. Chapter 5

Sorry if I didn't update in awhile. Writer's block was killing my idea, but I needed to get some these stories done as soon as I can before heading to college in a few months. So, I'm here to present the fifth chapter of One Touch, One Kiss!

_Chapter 5-A Soul's Radiance_

After the whole incident in the selection room, Serenity couldn't be able to control her own words or actions due to her transformation. She already had insulted her brother, stole her admirers' dignity, and caused the rest of her friends to be shocked about her actions. Only Maria and Seto weren't phased by this sudden transition, and it was the beginning of a new chapter in Serenity's life. How could she face her brother after what she said to him, let alone cheer him on if he was still mad at her? Serenity had guilt building in her heart already, and she was going to go in her brother's pride, despite the fact of having the Soul Crystal activate during his duel with Odion.

On the top of the blimp, Joey was clearly trying to figure out what was wrong with Serenity, along with thinking up a strategy for his duel. Something was amiss about his sister's attitude after the storm and wanted to find out what. Yami and Yugi were clearly thinking of the same thing, and they weren't as cheerful as the rest of the group. Yami needed to know something about what happened to Serenity, as well as finding out what caused her to go under such a transformation. Yugi was still shocked about what went on in the selection room. First, Mai was deprived of everything that described her inner and outer magnificence. Then out of nowhere, Serenity comes and surprises everyone with her new appearance and individuality. It wasn't adding up at all, and the duel was going to commence in about five minutes.

Seto, on the other hand, liked the new Serenity. Since the two hadn't said anything towards each other when they met, he knew that the sudden change of personality was getting to him. He still blames his hormones about thoughts of Joey's sister, and he wanted to know more about what caused such an angel to be an eye-catching mermaid. Serenity and Maria arrived just before the duel started, with Serenity being quiet to make sure that nothing ever happened to her while her brother's duel was on. Maria, even though surprised at her friend's actions, wanted to piss off Joey as much as possible that he'll lose control of his sanity.

"Maria, please don't do anything hasty." Serenity pleaded. "I have a massive guilt conscience already from what I said to Joey."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Maria asked. "That was the best ever! You told off Tristan and Duke, and the fact that all the guys were starring at you like eagles! Serenity, you needed that personality change, though I don't know how you pulled two years of puberty out of the blue."

"Whatever." Serenity sighed. This was harder than she thought.

Knowing that this was her first time seeing her brother duel, Serenity was ecstatic about cheering on the person that made her regain her eyesight. It was such a great time that her crazy personality didn't come back, but Maria had other plans. There was absolutely no way that she'll pass up on this opportunity to insult on Joey's current position. Also, she wanted to stir up the person within Serenity again, hopeful that she can set something straight on who's the boss around her family.

"Can you please hurry up? I don't want turned into an old lady by the time you make your first move, asshole." Maria retorted.

"Are you the one dueling!? No!!" Joey shouted. "Shut up, bitch, so I can concentrate! You already causing me enough problems?!"

"Who's the one who started all this mess? Wasn't me by chance."

'Cool it, Joey. She's just trying to piss you off. Go towards your happy place.'

Chances of Maria pissing off Joey Wheeler: Pretty high if what she said breaks the happy place.

"Not to mention that I'm Joey, a cross-dresser who wears skimpy clothing and peeks outside of a woman's window when she's taking a shower."

That did it. That broke Joey out of control and started swearing in every single language that he knew. Serenity, however, didn't like this one bit and the Soul Crystal started to react again, causing her head to be spinning like crazy while the two people she cared the most were insulting each other. The rest were trying to break the fight again, since the duel was about to begin.

"Come on, Maria! Joey's about to start!" Tèa said.

"Yeah, you can fight with him later!" Mai said. "Sheesh, what's so hard for you two to make amends?"

"Who cares!?" Maria retorted. "The son of a bitch can't even save his own ass anyway!"

"Shut da hell up, bitch!" Joey yelled.

"ENOUGH!!!!" Yami screeched, causing everyone to stop talking. "Maria, Joey's already been in enough problems as it is, so stop fighting with him. Joey, just concentrate on the duel and we can get this over with, alright?"

The two of them just gave one last death-glare before the duel started.

~Twenty minutes into the duel...~

"!"

After the duel started with Joey having a defaulted setback due to Odion's trap combo set onto the field, Serenity couldn't be able to hold control of the Soul Crystal's power and changed again into the personality that she never wanted back since the incident with Tristan and Duke. However, the crystal had a different set of mind and started to show her the possibilities of having such power to herself.

"**W-what's going on? Why do I feel this way every time something happens in my body? Is it because that storm did something to me, or have I really lost a portion of my mind when that debris hit me on my forehead?"**

"_Who's to believe that set of lies? Open your heart to me, my dear and the power that I have in stored for you shall be unleashed upon those who stand in our way..."_

"**Who are you? Why are you doing this to me?? What have I ever done to deserve such attention and questioning from my friends and family? Tell me!"**

"_Why should I? Are you really that dense to see the truth behind the artificial you? I can see into the depths of your deepest desires and open the true you from within. I can in actuality sense the bloodthirsty taste for power and know that in truth you want freedom from those who trapped you in isolation for eternity..."_

"I'm not that person!!" Serenity shouted.

"........Serenity, are you okay?" Mai asked, who with everyone else was staring at the young girl, who didn't realize that she was talking within her own mind.

"Huh?" Serenity was confused. Everyone she knew and somewhat knew didn't even hear the voice that she was speaking to just now, and it just made her even worse from the inside. "You guys didn't even hear the voice?"

"What voice??" It was now clear that the voice that left her questioning herself wasn't audible to anyone but herself. Then, another hit of the Soul Crystal took into her body, sending waves of electrical shockwaves through her neural system and changing her personality, again.

"Why would a bunch of shit-heads like you care about something that little over me? Assholes like you should be worrying about yourselves and leave people like me the fuck alone." Serenity stated.

'Not again...' "Seren, we care about your well-being, and now your telling us to leave you alone?" Joey maybe in the duel, but he was beyond disbelief. It has been so long since his little sister was taken away since the whole divorce settlement, and now after so many years, she wanted him to leave her alone? This was not the Serenity that he remembered those years ago. Maria, on the other hand, was glad that the personality she wanted to bring out of Serenity was back. Seto Kaiba, who didn't know anything about the whole situation, headed to see what was going on, only to find that what he saw next surprised him the most out of his alluring vixen.

"Come on, Serenity! You really ought to say sorry to Joey about what you said!" Tristan argued.

"Yeah, he's your brother, and just wants to protect you from any harm!" Duke said.

"Didn't I fucking tell you idiots that I don't want to deal with you in my life? I can protect myself, and instead of just saying it....Let me prove it!!" Serenity yelled.

Closing her fist as tight as possible, a strange power enticed itself to lifting both Tristan and Duke off of the ground, shocking everyone including Seto himself. With her hand glowing in a bluish-red color, Serenity send them hurling in collision with Namu and toppled onto the platform. A very icy glare was formed on her face, but then the waves hit again, but the difference was that she felt very weak for a reason and stormed off the dueling platform, leaving all the others to stare at her actions.

With Serenity, she was back to her normal self, but she clutched onto her chest, breathing very hard with sweat building up on her body. What happened to her since that storm? Sure she gotten much more beautiful at first, but when she hurled both Tristan and Duke towards Namu, she initially had a blow on her soul, the very foundation of her life. As if that power somehow took a portion of her life away and made her weak. She then vowed to avoid as much contact with everyone for the remainder of the tournament.

"_See that power just now? That was your true self looking for the taste of power...don't even think that avoiding those who truly love you will still keep your true nature from unraveling itself..."_

"**Stop it, whoever you are! Whatever happened to me, will never happen again! I don't want to put anyone else in danger at all no more! Ever!"**

"_Please...you're only delaying the inevitable..."_

Back to the gang, the duel has now resumed, but everyone's thoughts were how Serenity even possessed such an ability. Yami and Yugi were really concerned that Marik will be after her considering the power she displayed just now and would put him a few steps ahead of conquering the world. The others were thinking of how and why Serenity would change the way that everyone tries to protect her, even though it was truly clear of the power that she used. Joey had the most blow to the heart, knowing that the sweet loving sister that he protected so many years ago has completely changed.

'_For some reason, Wheelerette...no, Serenity, has displayed something that has changed my view of her over the course of the hours that we met. Maybe...just maybe, I can somehow use that power to my advantage...'_

This is the end of Chapter 5 of One Touch, One Kiss...

Okay, I am REALLY sorry for the huge lack of updates since September of last year, and I hope this doesn't really happen again...okay, maybe it might...but not for a long period, that is.

R&R, people!


	6. Chapter 6

Oh my God! I cannot believe this crap that I have bestowed upon me! For all faithful and loyal fans of One Touch, One Kiss: I am truly sorry for holding this much(and I'm so not gonna have a two-year hiatus on this story). So, I'm here to present the sixth chapter of One Touch, One Kiss!

_Chapter 6-Dark Blessings_

She want to avoid everyone that she cared for out of whatever was happening to her.

The boundary between reality and fiction was torn within her judgments; everything that she held dear to herself started to slip away from her grasp, as if insanity has gained a new face in the public eye.

She was afraid of what was in her body; of herself and of others.

It had been less than an hour after Joey's win against Odion, Marik's win against Mai, Seto's win against Ishizu and the events of what happened afterwards, and there was still no sign of Serenity as the others plus Mokuba were looking for her. It was clear that Ishizu told them to find her if she is able to diagnose the problem that they had witnessed during Joey's duel. The girls checked the upper deck, while the guys searched the lower, considering that had to split Maria and Joey before they started another argument.

Joey, Tristan and Duke had no luck searching around the living quarters, while Yugi and Mokuba had little luck in the summoning areas along with the cockpit. The girls haven't gotten results either, and all of them met up at the arena, with Tèa and Duke keeping both arguers away from each other.

"This is bullshit! How can Serenity disappear on us like that, and hasn't even come up to see us after what happened?" Tristan said.

"Considering what she done, Serenity would be terrified of the same thing happening again." Tèa argued. "I mean, c'mon; the personality change was an issue to us, but we got bigger things to begin with."

"Tèa's right, guys." Yugi agreed. "You saw that power she displayed in front of us? I fear that Marik might use that power against us; yet we don't know anything about this power ourselves."

"You think that son of a bitch Marik would use ma sista against us?" Joey shouted. "Not when I'm around!"

"Then let's try again." Duke said. "Let's search in places that we haven't looked in yet, and report back to the summoning area within the hour."

~Computer Network Room, 10:22 p.m.~

He searched the network of many countries, but none have proved worthy of his attention as he pondered his thoughts into the lovely angel that was Serenity herself. The power he saw during Joey's duel proved she was something worth his time into knowing such talent she possessed in under the time that he knew about her. He wanted to have that kind of power should he fail defeating Yugi, and surely his pride would not take another blow if it happens again.

Seto pondered though endless thoughts and theories on whether Serenity's power was obtainable through force or awaken during the storm that delayed the first duel of the finals. No matter what it takes, he will be sure that by the time her power was at its peak, he'll take it to finish off his enemies and rivals with one shot. But, he had a few bumps along with his plan to obtain such power.

The first was of course her brother, the worthless idiot he called him. Joey would be furious if Serenity was ever near him, or perhaps it was the other way around. Still, it wouldn't be much of a challenge, seeing that he had the upper hand when it came to his security force. Tristan and Duke were out of the equation, knowing that what he saw during that time when the vixen herself displayed enough to conclude that she didn't want to be involve with either one of them.

The second was her attitude. How to counter such a personality that was truly like him? Temptation was always key to him, so what better way than to earn her trust than to allure her into his own claws? He smirked as he concluded his research and started to find out if the dweebs found some useful information about his target.

'Hmph...If the world's leading information bureau couldn't tell me how to obtain a power like Serenity's, then I'll have to go looking for the dweebs for the information, even if it means listening to more shitty lectures about magic.' Seto thought.

~Within dimensional space...~

She saw dark clouds around her, not seeing the roads or anybody for that matter since the personality she thought was gone forever reappeared again, this time causing physical damage to her soul and body. Laughter bounced around the area, spinning her like crazy and making her yell out the voice in the shadows of the unknown.

Serenity couldn't take it anymore. What happened to her during that storm that caused her to be completely opposite of herself? And speaking of the storm, where was she? She wasn't on the blimp, nor the dreaded Shadow Realm that her brother told her about. She shook her head until the voice that caused her to transform herself spoke once more.

"_**Well, well...Trying to deny your true self once again? You have got to be the weakest person to be my synchronic partner. Then again...you also happened to be holding back the most power in all that possessed me."**_

"Where the hell are you?" Serenity shouted. "Come out, and face me! Why do you have to make me like the person I never wanted to be at all?"

"_**Such a snappy remark. Very well, I'll show myself to you and you'll be satisfied. Be warned, though...What you're about to see is a version of the true you."**_

A shadowy figure appeared right in front of her, making Serenity shocked of who she truly looked like on the inside. Her reflection had a sadistic smirk planted on her face, everything around her never bothered nor intimidated her. Was this really the person she feared to become the most? Power-crazed and isolated from the world itself, even those who she grew close to?

"_**Ugh, stop doubting your reflection. It's making me sick."**_

"I'm not!" Serenity said. "Now, tell me where I am, right now! I want to go back to my brother and my friends!"

"_**You're not getting out that easily...This is the realm that crosses dimensions throughout space itself; where time is infinite and where your deepest secrets and even the greatest sins of your life are kept within the boundaries of your heart. This...is the Dimensional Realm."**_

"Why was I brought here?" Serenity asked. "I have nothing to do with anything! I don't have psychic powers or any of that shit you pulled on my body! Take me back, now!"

"_**You ask too many questions...so I'll make this short. You have been given a crystal that has the abilities that no mortal man nor woman could ever possess. Those who do wish to control must be people pure of heart, and able to fight back the dark forces that are after this powerful gem. The true you, is also your fighting soul. Apparently, you wanted to avoid everyone that you might think would try to take over your life. Not gonna happen with me around.**_

"_**Your true self is derived of qualities that you have been exposed to you during the several hours that the Soul Crystal was getting adjusted to your body. Once the changes were made, that body became my physical way to control you. No sense of getting anyone from your previous life involved in the mess you're in now, is it?"**_

"But it doesn't explain the sharp pain I felt after that second takeover!" Serenity said.

"_**If the crystal's powers is exposed to people that are corrupted by power and revenge, the crystal will have to make it up by taking a portion of your life force to sustain its' purity. Now that we have met, we are fully in sync. I hope you don't deny your true self once again...or I'll have to take complete control of your body to make sure you get adjusted to your new self. Ta-ta for now!"**_

"Wait-" But Serenity couldn't see the shadowy figure of herself anymore as she opened her eyes to look around, only to notice that she was back on the blimp. What mess did she get involved in? What did the voice in her mind mean by the words she spoke to her about the people around her? She asked so many questions, but didn't get enough answers, so she went out of the room she was in to find Ishizu to talk about the crystal inside of her, and maybe the answers she seeks might be there.

Finally done! I blame writer's block with the combination of laziness. Next three chapters will be done in April and posted in May. Until then, I'll be working on a DBZ short-fic along with a couple of one-shooters stories involving some pairings, but don't be surprised about the pairings I choose. Throughout the summer, I'll be typing up the seven starting chapters of "Temptation to Madness", and I'll post them up somewhere late September to early October. Now, R&R, people!


	7. Chapter 7

Okay, I got three chapters to do; and I can't slack off as much as I want to...because I lack inspiration! But, I got a mind of good ideas flowing thru my veins, so I here to present the seventh chapter of One Touch, One Kiss!

_Chapter 7-Can I Really Trust You?_

Debatable glances were coming from many directions of which Yugi and his friends wanted to know what was causing Serenity to change so much in front of them. They were now in Ishizu's room in hopes of finding the real cause of Serenity's changes in behavior since the beginning of the quarterfinals; Joey being the most worried about the sheer magnitude of the information coming from this woman's mouth. It had been almost three hours since the departure from the city, and already many things are setting into light. Answers were needed towards questions, and many motives were questioned within the halls.

Seto, himself, wanted to know about what was the missing piece towards his mesmerizing vixen ever since her first true appearance in his view. She developed quite an interest on her, yet he didn't know where, whom, or how she obtained that power. Setting himself outside the door to Ishizu's room, he heard quite a chatter as Yugi and Joey tried to get answers about many things about the things that they didn't know. Seto didn't care about what they talked about Marik or his priorities, but he lifted his ears once more when the topic now switched to Serenity's total change in person.

"I had no visions about Serenity's complete change during this tournament; I cannot say that this spring of events truly has me puzzled about my brother's intentions." Ishizu said.

"We just want to know whatever the hell caused my sis to act the way she is now!" Joey bellowed. "She calls me names, diss my friends, and showed off some crazy power during my duel! Something's definitely the fuck wrong with her!"

"Pft!" Maria retorted. "You're saying that because you're afraid of her turning independent and letting her go, asshole!"

"Shut the hell up, bitch!" Joey shouted.

"No, you shut up, bastard!" Maria shouted.

"Enough!" Yami yelled. "My Ra, we can't get you two to back off each other for a few minutes!"

"It's his/her fault!" Joey and Maria said, pointing the accusing finger on each other.

"Whatever..." Tristan sighed dismissively. "Stupid storm caused all of this; came out of nowhere and next thing you know, Serenity goes all loco!"

"Hey, don't forget about Mai's sudden appearance as well, Tristan." Tèa said. "She went from being the woman we met in Duelist Kingdom, to what we see right now! I mean, Serenity must have seen something in that storm to make her react like this."

"I think you might be on to something, Tèa." Duke said. "I heard noises coming from those clouds and it sounded like someone was in a hurry to get away from them."

"What did they look like?" Ishizu asked.

"None of us have gotten a good look at these 'things', Ishizu." Yami said. "I did however, see someone carrying a bright gem in his/her hands..."

'No...It cannot be.' Ishizu thought, eyes widen in shock. 'But, the legends about this gem was never accurate, let alone been confirmed! If what they say is true...then I'm afraid that Serenity will be in more danger than the rest of them.'

"I think I now know what you are speaking of, but I'm afraid you cannot help Serenity at this point." Ishizu said.

This set of words sparked outrage in Joey's eyes. What the hell did she mean that he can't help his little sister?

"You do?" Yami asked. "But, why would you withhold such crucial information?"

"I did not withhold information; rather, the information was never confirmed nor studied upon in legends." Ishizu said. "What you are speaking to me, is a powerful gem called the Soul Crystal."

"The Soul Crystal?" Tristan said. "What the hell is that?"

Seto perked up his ears again. So, the crazy destiny woman, aka Ishizu, does know something about Serenity's powers and such. It was time to know what portions of the information he would tell to his vixen if he wanted to earn her trust, and this information was also beneficial to him in more ways than one. To think that one such jewel can contain that massive amount of power, yet for reasons unknown to him, Serenity was the only one out of the whole geek group to be chosen to contain such ferocity in her fragile body. He listened once more as questions started to pour out of the group.

'I wonder if my charming Serenity knows anything about this crystal inside of her. I'll earn her trust so easily, and then...no one would dare challenge my authority!' Seto thought maliciously.

"Please calm down, my friends." Ishizu said. "I know you are very worried about Serenity, but right now...no one in this very room knows her exact location."

"That's true." Joey said. "Soon after my duel ended, she disappeared and no one has even heard not one peep from any hiding places that she might have found over the time period we have gotten!"

"So, what about this Soul Crystal that Serenity somehow obtained?" Yami asked. "Is it more dangerous than expected?"

"My pharaoh, you and your friends are quite safe; however, for Serenity...a whole lot of trouble is awaiting her." Ishizu said. "Not much has been heard about the Soul Crystal since it's first appearance centuries ago, except that all those who do possess it die from the crystal's after-effects."

"What?" Tèa said, suddenly turning deathly pale.

"Yes, this much info was obtained during autopsies of every person who came in contact with the crystal. Those who lived during the Soul Crystal's trials isolated themselves because they fear that the crystal might still be with them." Ishizu said.

"But, why the sudden change in person and appearance?" Duke asked. "It can't happened that quick enough to appease everyone around them!"

"It's during the lapsing time that the Soul Crystal itself starts incorporating itself into it's new host, gathering anything around it, from personality to appearance, and then physically making those changes itself." Ishizu said. "The person might display some form of sickness, but it automatically passes as soon as the crystal is completely done with arranging itself to the host."

"That would explain Serenity's sudden transformation." Yami said. "She fainted when she looked at Kaiba, then suddenly got nauseous when she was around Mai."

"But, it doesn't explain that hell of a crazy power she pulled on Dice Boy and me!" Tristan shouted.

"And the sudden retreat during the duel." Tèa added.

"The Soul Crystal tends to possess the host at times; and also acts as the other side of which no one has ever seen in another person. The crystal itself is very powerful, and only those of pure heart can control such a powerful gem. But, however, should the crystal's power be displayed in front of people desperate for revenge and corrupted in the heart, it makes up for that portion by taking a piece of the host's life force and transfers it to the crystal to make it pure once again." Ishizu said. "Serenity must have gone hidden in a place that only she knows, and is avoiding you all to protect you from what she is experiencing as of now. But, I know that she must be back; she cannot hide from the dangers she'll be facing as of this critical moment."

"So, in short terms: Have Serenity avoid people who are corrupt and make sure we don't piss her off." Maria said.

"Well, now that we know what's causing Serenity to panic, it's best if we can find her right now." Yami said. "However, we might have to distinguish between the two personalities when that crystal does possess her again."

"I rather tell that spirit to get the fuck outta my sister!" Joey shouted.

"Oh no, you don't, you son of a bitch!" Maria retorted. "Serenity totally needs that change! I'm not letting you destroy what she worked up for!"

"Make me, asshole!" Joey yelled.

And the fighting between the two continued, as everyone tried to break it up again. Moving from the hallways with a smirk upon his face, Seto chuckled knowing all the information that he needed to persuade his alluring angel into his dragonish claws. He edited the words in his mind, thinking of the perfect solution to sway her trust into believing that he can save her, when he wanted to use that power to crush his competition. There was nothing that the geek squad can do now; he had the only way of locating Serenity, and he was going to be the first one there as well.

'All of my information has been gathered, and whether Wheeler likes it or not, I will obtain that power through Serenity; no girl can ever resist me, and she'll be no exception.' Seto thought.

He left before anyone saw him, knowing sooner or later that Serenity will eventually come out to see her friends and brother.

Speaking of Serenity, let's see where she is right now...

The breeze outside calmed down, yet it was still chilly as Serenity looked out into the night sky; her thoughts going through like crazy as she tried to press every single information that she learned about the gem inside her own body. There was nothing she can truly do about the spirit's transition whenever she was thought to be in danger or about the sudden loss of life within her own soul, and she knew that her brother and the rest were worried about her own welfare. She held herself in her own arms as she started to head back to her friends.

'All of this is happening because of that storm that appeared several hours ago, yet why do I feel that I'm going to be the one that's in more danger than the rest of my friends? I know that spirit would try to take over my body again, but...can I really trust her with my very own life?' Serenity thought.

However, something in her body froze up as she looked up again, seeing clouds forming under the blimp, and a destructive roar was heard from the sky above. Was this one of the trials that the crystal predicted that she needed to overcome...?

I hate my schedule! I never get anything done this way! Oh well...time to make a new one, again.

R&R, people!


	8. Chapter 8

This chapter and the next will be posted when they are done. Once then, I'll take a break from this story so I can work up the other stories that I'm working on. Again, I'm gonna search for a beta tester for "Temptation of Madness", so note me if you want the chance! Here's the eighth chapter of One Touch, One Kiss!

_Chapter 8-Assault During the Night_

The roars of the sky echoed throughout the blimp as everyone startled from their slumber, knowing that they needed to get ready for tomorrow's semi-finals. Serenity, however, was in the middle of the same storm that caused her to have the Soul Crystal inside of her. She didn't want this right now; she already was dealing a crisis of her own! Shadowy smokes touched onto the metal platform, and revealed creatures of which she never seen before; fangs drenched in blood and their claws as sharp as diamonds. The fur was purplish and poisonous, sending her surrounding area to be covered with the dark fog; their eyes glowering with a dark reddish glow. This was something she wasn't used to at all, and she didn't have anybody to save her from whatever she was facing.

Leaping from their position, one of the creatures extended its' claws and strikes Serenity on the lower portion of her leg, sending pain into her body and blood seeping from the injury. She now noticed that these creatures are playing for keeps, and the spirit realized that she wasn't fully ready for such a battle.

'**Damn...I didn't think that they would find us already, let alone have backup!'**

'Wait, what are these things?' Serenity thought.

'**Shadow-hunters; bloodthirsty demons that thrive off their prey's blood, and only the first level of what's to come.'**

'Is this one of the trials I have to face?'

'**No, they're called upon a greater force after my powers. They can be dangerous in a group, let one be still a challenge with their speed. Shit, you're gonna have to let me take over your body. You're not ready for this kind of battle.'**

Instead of declining, Serenity reluctantly agreed to switch with the spirit. She didn't want to die on the first night of having this gem, and really wished that all of this go away from her sight. Shockwaves flew into her body as the spirit came into her body, a demented glare placed upon her face and a sense of justice coming into her heart. Using the crystal's power, she summon a sword from the jewel itself and positioned herself for battle.

"You pieces of shit aren't going to get me this easily...Bring it on!" Serenity said.

While the battle was taking place, Yugi, Joey, and Duke woke up upon the storm's thundering calls, thinking that the same thing was going to happen again. Seto also noticed the sudden change in the sky, realizing this when the system started to go haywire after the second lightening struck down into the sea below them.

'Damn, the storm's making a magnetic wave that's causing us to lose control of everything around this ship!' Seto thought. 'My angel can wait for now...First comes restoring the system back to balance.'

"What's going on, Yug'?" Joey asked. "I thought that storm was supposed to be gone forever!"

"There's no rain, so something tells me it has to deal with the Soul Crystal..." Yugi started, but all three realized who was now in the eye of the storm:

"Serenity!"

The sounds of bouncing metal boomed through the center of the storm as Serenity continued her fight with the bloodthirsty demons from the skies above. Two was already down for the count, and three were coming at her faster than the others. Swiftly dodging two of them, she clenched her fists, glowing with light and punched them quickly in the face and abdomen, taking both of them down. All was left was the leader, but it struck her on both arms and waist, making her stumble backwards while trying to recover.

Even though the spirit was in control, Serenity knew that she couldn't win with her body inexperience in this type of situation. The sword was close to shattering, her body sustained heavy damage from fighting, and her vision started to get cloudy from the loss of blood. She started to cry, but stopped when the spirit started to yell at her.

'**Don't you dare cry! Sheesh, just because we're at a disadvantage due to it being night, doesn't mean you have to fucking cry! Grow a backbone if you want survive; I can't handle everything on my own!'**

'But, I...don't even know what to do!' Serenity thought. 'I don't know the first thing to do at all! This...What can I do? I can't help myself because I was always a burden to everyone around me, when I knew I can do things on my own...'

'**Remember what I told you about being my synchro-partner? You can fight with me as well; just believe in yourself! Now, concentrate!'**

Gathering every single bit of courage from deep within herself, Serenity felt something different in her body; it wasn't any burning pain at all, rather it was a rhythm that made her what she truly was. The Soul Crystal activated, causing both her and the spirit to merge, withholding all the damage against them. Gripping the sword in her hands, she swung the blade at the leader, breaking the sharp claws and slicing the beast in half. The bodies of the demons disappeared into the air, as the storm subsided and the clouds started to separate, making the night sky clear as day. Dropping the sword, it disappeared as well, as Serenity collapsed from the assault. She breathed in air as much as she can take, but the wounds were still visible on her body; her blood drenched around the metal platform and on her clothes.

'**I know we just won the battle, but I don't think we won the war so far; it only just begun.'**

'What am I going to do with my injuries?' Serenity thought. 'They're still around my body, and I don't think Joey and the others will like it if I came back to them all bloody.'

'**I'll heal them before anyone gets the chance to see. No sense of having anyone knowing about our contact with those Shadow-hunters.'**

'Thanks...But, you'll have to explain these trials I'm suppose to pass before anything gets underway.'

'**Done deal.'**

The elevator pinged as Yugi, Joey, and Duke reached the dueling platform to see Serenity's clothes torn apart by something in the storm. Rushing to help his little sister, Joey held her on both arms and looked her in the eyes. Serenity was shocked to see her own brother on the dueling field, but was also grateful that her wounds completely healed before they noticed that her frail body was torn, but that didn't stop them from questioning her about the pool of blood and her bloody torn clothes.

"Sorry if I worried you guys." Serenity assured them.

"Sorry can't cut it about this crazy mess!" Joey shouted. "...I was really worried about you, Seren. Don't make worry like that again, alright?"

"Okay." Serenity said.

"What happened here?" Yugi asked. "You're clothes are torn, and there's a pool of blood on the platform. You didn't kill someone...did you?"

"No, of course not!" Serenity lied. "I...accidentally injured myself when I woke up from whenever I was, and I came on here instead of the medical room so I wouldn't worry you guys more than you already were." She knew that if she told them the truth, then more questions will follow up, and she didn't feel like having the spirit taking over again.

"Just making sure." Yugi said. "You must be super tired from your injury. Why don't you head back to Mai's room to sleep there?"

"Sure." Serenity said.

Once she left, Joey and Duke looked at Yugi, who was now Yami, like he was crazy not to talk to her about what they just learned about the Soul Crystal. It wasn't like him to skip important information like that and know the true dangers that was lying for Serenity up ahead. Yami looked at both guys with reassurance in his eyes.

"Why couldn't you just tell her about that damn crystal?" Duke asked. "She needed to know that we can be trusted!"

"Look; right now, Serenity's current conditions won't make things easier for us to get through to her." Yami said. "I don't believe her story one bit at all. If she did get injured, would she still be standing after that much blood loss? And the marks on her clothes looked more like claw marks."

Joey and Duke looked at each other, realizing that Yami was right. There was absolutely no way that Serenity got injured earlier like she said, and still stand like normal.

"The blood was still fresh when I held her..." Joey said. "But, there's no way that Serenity could've gotten into a scuffle of whomever or whatever she was fighting with!...Damn it, and I'm suppose to see it more clearly!"

"You think that Serenity knows about the crystal when she disappeared a couple hours ago?" Duke asked.

"Until she's ready to talk, we don't speak to her about our knowledge about the Soul Crystal right now; we'll wait until morning when everyone is awake." Yami said. "Are we clear?"

Both men nodded, and they headed back downstairs to their rooms to await morning.

Is it me, or these chapters are getting shorter? Oh, well.

R&R, people!


	9. Chapter 9

I'm gonna cut to the chase; here's chapter nine of One Touch, One Kiss!

_Chapter 9-Trials of the Soul Crystal_

From night into daylight, everyone was anxious about talking to Serenity about the Soul Crystal, even though Yugi was still sleepy since he and Tèa were up all night looking for Bakura, finding out that Marik sent him into the Shadow Realm as a result of his loss. Joey, on the other hand, was still awake since he was looking over the room of where Serenity was now sleeping in. Tristan and Duke caught up with the group, with Maria following up with them. It was hard to actually confront Serenity at this point, since some of them have their doubts on whether or not to tell her about their sudden acquisition of the information on the Soul Crystal.

Serenity, on the other hand, was trying to gather up a story about last night's events since her brother and friends didn't buy the whole injury incident that she lied about to cover up for the fight with the creatures that was somehow after the Soul Crystal. The spirit, however, wasn't phased by any of the events unfolding right now as she annoyingly watched Serenity paced back and forth in the room.

'What am I going to tell them?' Serenity thought. 'Joey and the others didn't buy my story last night and I'm afraid that if they do get mixed up in this...I can hardly think about the consequences right now! Damn, I don't know if I can protect everyone from those creatures and beyond that.'

'**Shit; they must have found out about me from someone else who knows about the crystal's legend. Although, they can't stop you from doing the trials since they are quite secluded in areas that only I know.'**

'Speaking of those trials, when are you going to tell me about them?'

'**Better to tell you now than later. See, I have to know whether or not you are good enough to unlock the true power of the Soul Crystal. These trials will test your mental, physical, and spiritual strength; although, I don't always give out the same trials as the other contenders that possessed me.'**

'So, are they really that hard?'

'**Depending from your perspective, yes. Much harder than those Shadow-hunters we fought last night.'**

'So, how long until whoever gave me the gem comes back to claim it?'

'**Not for a long time. Stupid guardian of mine had to sleep on the job; it isn't much to say that those damn demons are after this raw power. Trying to protect those idiotic pals of yours will be just more than a problem, if they insist of getting involved in the mess that you gotten into. I can't be responsible if they do get hurt as a result of their meddling.'**

'They're not idiots! My friends are really worried about me, except Maria; she's always wanted me to become independent...'

'**Look; right now, we're in a tight bind as it is. Your pals know about me and will try to take it out of you, as well as those cretins that we fought last night are after you. We're gonna have to make a decision right this minute.'**

'You mean if I have to...'

'**Yeah; you're gonna have to abandon all your pals and stay isolated if you want to protect them.'**

What was she going to do? Serenity didn't want to abandon her family and friends! They were what kept her going to fight off her blindness; her own fears! But, what if something did happen to them when she's fighting off those creatures from last night and she couldn't be able to protect them? As much as she hated to admit it, the spirit was right. If Joey and the others continue to intervene in her mess than in the one they have right now with Marik, then they could end up hurt...or worse. She loved her brother so much, but she knew that he had to let her go one day.

'...As much as I want to let them go, I can't.' Serenity thought. 'However, I will have to leave them if they keep pursuing me on the matter of your presence inside me.'

'**Understood.'**

As Serenity walked outside, everyone stood I front her, asking question after question about everything that they learned about the Soul Crystal last night, although the spirit was now inhibiting her body since she knew that her friends were starting to pester her...a LOT!

"Shut the fuck up, you imbeciles!" Serenity shouted, causing everyone to stop talking. "For crying out loud, if you guys knew about the crystal's powers, then stop bugging me about it!"

Yami knew that this was the crystal speaking, and switched with Yugi to confront the said spirit. He was not gonna give up on his best friend's sister, not after what Ishizu said about the dangers that Serenity have to face.

"You must be the spirit of the crystal." Yami remarked. "What's your business doing on this very planet?"

"Hmph, like I tell you." Serenity said. "People like you should stay out of other people's business, asswipe! Besides, you idiots already know that you cannot help your precious friend no matter how many detours you can take."

"Look here, you delusional spirit of the damned!" Joey yelled. "Serenity's family too; I'm not gonna let you take over her life just because someone's after your power!"

"Oh, and you think that I'm the only one being targeted?" Serenity asked. "Many people that inhibited me in their bodies happened to be targeted as well; their personal lives intertwining with the dangers that are set to come. She's made her decision to keep you guys out of her life until she can sort this out...alone."

Joey was seeing red all over; that spirit just told him off and covered for Serenity's lies! The others were quite shocked from what was said, though Yami knew that they were going to intervene no matter what the spirit said to them. As she brushed them off and headed further into the halls, Serenity gained control of her body once more to think over her fateful decision. She knew that everyone wanted to help, but thinking over the options and consequences of them intervening, she knew this was the only way to protect them from what or whom was coming their way.

When she turned the corner though, she bumped into Seto Kaiba and looking straight into his eyes. Something was definitely off with his mood today, but it was the other way around for Seto. He overheard the little conversation between the group and now had the perfect opportunity to have complete control of the situation.

"Kaiba, what are you doing here?" Serenity asked.

"My dear, I'm quite insulted." Seto mocked. "I just happened to walk in the same direction that you were heading towards and couldn't help but hear that you wanted to be set free from whatever was controlling you."

"You know a way to remove the Soul Crystal?" Serenity asked, disbelieving that such a task is possible.

"Maybe I do." Seto said. "But, I don't suppose a beautiful young girl like yourself want to be around me. I mean, from what your brother said about me, I'm nothing but bad news. On the contrary though, I am the only one that knows how to get that crystal out of you. Trust me, Serenity."

What was Serenity supposed to do? She wasn't the type to question such information, although the spirit thought otherwise.

'**I don't like this guy. Something's definitely odd about him. I'm taking over again.'**

And the spirit was true to her words as she took over Serenity's body, glaring at the tall brunette with questionable doubt. Was he really trying to get the power of the Soul Crystal as well?

"Why should I trust you, asswipe?" Serenity asked.

'This tone...so the spirit took over my angel's body and questions my motives. Interesting.' Seto thought.

"Of course I question your motives, dumbass." Serenity said.

Seto didn't quite realize how the spirit knew about his thoughts, but concluded that she must have other abilities as well, including reading another's mind.

"Seems I can't keep my thoughts away from you, now can I?" Seto said.

"What are you really after?" Serenity questioned him.

"That crystal's power." Seto said. "I want to destroy my opponents into the ground so that only I reign supreme over them. No one would dare question my authority and challenge me to only see their demise. I just need to have Serenity be at my side in order to find out if I could obtain that power through necessary means."

"She'll wind up dead if she's at your side." Serenity retorted. "Your heart's been driven into darkness and revenge; you should know by now that only those pure of heart can control me, and I don't think that Serenity wants to deal with you right now."

"Really?" Seto smirked. "Well then, I should be off. But both of you should consider my offer; I'll be waiting for an answer anytime."

"Do you honestly think that power solves everything?" Serenity asked. "It only creates war and drift us apart from those we loved; I didn't want Joey and them to be involved in a situation that only I can solve. Besides, I can't trust anyone right now because of what's going to happen over the next several months. I don't want you to get hurt, Seto; explaining to your brother about your injuries isn't in my agenda. Please, don't talk to me again unless you really have a good reason why."

And with those parting words, Serenity left a confused Seto in the hallways. She was desperate to get away from him as much as possible, but something deep inside of her told her that both of them will cross paths again. She overheard the conversation, and she was quite surprised that Seto only wanted to get near her close enough to extract the crystal out of her.

She wanted to get everything back to normal as soon as possible; hopefully to even have a chance at a normal life once more.

* * *

Finally done! This story's going on hiatus until somewhere late October. Now, I'm going to work on three other stories along with the drafts for "Temptation to Madness," then I'm going to set the chapter release schedule for each of the stories that I'm currently working on.

R&R, people!

P.S.: I'm still searching for a beta writer for both "Synchro Beast, Crimson Rose," and "Temptation to Madness"! Please apply if you guys haven't done so!


	10. Chapter 10

Hey, I hope that this small hiatus doesn't affect you guys at all, but now we reach the next segment of One Touch, One Kiss! I present to you the tenth chapter!

_Chapter 10-The Trial of Strength: Part 1_

~**Two weeks after the Battle City tournament**~

It was clear as day as she was standing at the site of her first ever trial, separated from her family and friends to protect their lives of whomever has their sights on obtaining the Soul Crystal for their selfish needs. It was very hard on her part to abandon the people she relied on for guidance, but now she was all alone in the wilderness with barely anything to help her in her first ever trial to prove that she was worthy to hold the jewel inside of her.

She couldn't believe that the person that wanted to help her was also after the jewel that she once tried to get rid of, but now she wanted to find out if this was truly the person that she was born to become. Question after question of reasonable doubt arose so much during these past few weeks, and now she was going to go through the toughest trails she ever faced alone; that is, assuming that she was ready enough to claim independence for herself.

Deep in the forest mountains, armed with nothing but survival items needed for the days to come, Serenity stood at an isolated part of a trail that was cut off from the maps due to it being too dense to see anyone for miles. Yet, here on the very ground, lies ancient markings of what the spirit told her would transport them into the first trial: the Trial of Strength. This was not in Serenity's blood, as she was constantly voted the weakest person in gym class due to her fragile personality. But now, she have to use her very own reserve to survive the first challenge.

She looked around the whole forest, hoping that Joey and the others didn't follow her to this location, knowing that they wouldn't just abandoned her like that. Joey would go ballistic and started a huge search for her. Tèa and the rest of the girls would try to convince her to come back, and the rest of the guys would do anything to break her out of this mess. But in her mind, Serenity knew that this was her situation, and hers alone.

Of course, this also meant pulling a Houdini on her mother and also Kaiba Corp.'s own satellite system, since she also brought her duel disk around for practice. She knew her mother would be devastated on her disappearance, but she wanted to avoid Seto Kaiba as much as possible. The girl knew in her heart that there was still good inside of him, but ever since the Soul Crystal took place inside of her, he was relentlessly pursuing her in hopes of obtaining the crystal's powers for his own selfish purposes. She hoped that one day, she could extract the kindness that he once possessed in his body.

'I guess this is it.' Serenity thought. 'Should I really take fate into my own hands?'

'**Remember, once we cross the threshold and through the portal, we'll be in the area for the Trial of Strength. We can't go back into this world until we pass all three trials. Also, we'll become isolated from civilization, meaning no contact at all with anyone but ourselves.'**

"Even though this is truly against everything that I believe in...I have to do this in order to survive and protect those around me." Serenity said. "I need to gain my own identity."

With a couple of steps into the encrypted circle, Serenity felt herself whisked away into a bright pillar of light, taking everything she had with her into a wandering land covered in white clouds on the bottom of the ground. Her surroundings were trees broken down from fires, with not a single leaf growing upon them; cities were not seen for miles and miles, only with caverns too dark to even sleep deep. The spirit reappeared in front of her, only now more solidified and able to talk.

"You have your own body now?" Serenity asked, confused about the sudden appearance.

"_**Dumbass. This place is completely covered in a special type of fog made perfect for us non-physical beings to appear as human-like as possible. Downside of it is that we can't speak via mouth."**_

"Oh, I see." Serenity said. "Um, don't you have some kind of name I can use?"

"_**Does it look like that a fucking name to use? Us spirits don't have human names; it's considered to be stupid and unlawful!"**_

"But you have to at least one name!" Serenity insisted. "I can't keep calling you Spirit forever! It's just feels like bullshit to me, not to mention rude."

"_**Back-talking me is somewhat impressive. Fine; the name's Arios. It's not really my name, but a special codename my idiotic guardian used to suppress my true strength or rather my inhibitor's true potential."**_

"But why?" Serenity asked. "Couldn't they use some other type of sealing technique for you?"

"_**Either you didn't listen real well or you're completely dense. Do you realize that if anyone knows the techniques used for any sealing for that matter, they can use that to unlock my power as much as they like? To prevent such a thing, only those who have establish a soul-link with me can unlock my power."**_

"I see." Serenity said. "So, where's this trial that I'm suppose to take?"

"_**Ah, the Trial of Strength. We're gonna have to walk a long way to the site. No way are we're going to start the trial were we just came from."**_

"G-Good point." Serenity said. There was absolutely no way in hell that she'll be stuck here for eternity.

And with those words exchanged, they started walking in the direction to the area for Serenity's first trial for her life.

* * *

-Back in Domino, at Kaiba Corporations HQ...-

"I can't fucking find her!" Joey yelled. "We searched everywhere within the city, and Seren's nowhere to be found!"

"Maybe since we kept pestering her to let us help her, you don't think that spirit lead her to somewhere that we don't know about?" Duke suggested.

"I knew that spirit was nothing but bad news!" Tristan said. "Ever since Battle City, that spirit's been flipping us off whenever she gets the chance!"

"You idiots are too protective over Serenity!" Maria said. "Especially Monkey Brother over there!"

"I am this close to beating the shit out of you, bitch!" Joey bellowed.

"SHUT THE HELL UP!" Seto screeched.

The whole office fell into silence as the group was still agitated about Serenity's mysterious disappearing act. Joey, however, was enraged that his sister kept on the down low about the Soul Crystal still inside of her. When his mother called and telling him that she never returned home since they departed, he immediately flipped and calling his friends from left to right, even calling the girl he despised his sister hanging around with. Hours later, with their results reaching a dead end, all of them flocked to Kaiba Corp. in hopes of getting an exact location on her whereabouts.

"Good; you annoyances were giving me a fucking headache." Seto said.

"Look, Moneybags!" Joey barked. "All we want is to find my sis, so fire up that satellite in space and pinpoint her location so that we can get her!"

"Do you really think that it's that simple to locate her in the system?" Mokuba asked. "She's been out of our radar for the past couple of weeks! Seto's been reprogramming the sensors for a few days now, and when she did reappear...the signal disappeared again, this time for good!"

"Are you for real?" Tèa asked.

"If we say yes, will you go away forever and never bother me again?" Seto remarked.

'Could it be that spirit has something to do with Serenity's disappearance?' Yugi thought.

'_Yugi...I fear wherever that spirit took Serenity, it must be somewhere that no kind of radar or even people can reach at normal standards.'_ Yami spoke via mind link.

'Maybe, but we better consult our options. It's best to start at where Serenity's location was last reported.' Yugi suggested. 'It's our only lead for now.'

'_Agreed.'_

"Kaiba, does your system still has Serenity's last reported location?" Yugi asked.

"The signal might have disappeared due to magnetic interference out of the land, but our duelist system still has the coordinates to where that duelist was last reported before the duel disk either went out of commission or into a magnetic field." Seto said. "If I cross reference the exact moment that the satellite caught Serenity's last coordinates with the geographic location of the area, I might have an accurate position on her last whereabouts."

"Then do it already!" Joey shouted. "Chop, chop!"

"I don't take orders from you, mutt." Seto said.

* * *

-At an unknown location with Serenity...four hours later...-

"Man, all I can see from here is nothing but fog and dead tree limbs." Serenity said.

"_**Get used to it. This place's hasn't been tended to for many years. Damn caretakers didn't come back from their fucking vacation; good-for-nothing idiots!"**_

"How much further?" Serenity asked.

"_**...Over that pass and we'll be there."**_

Once they climbed over the hill, Serenity couldn't believe all the pillars placed upon the arena as they stood in the same ancient writing that was on the transporter that took them here. She ran over to the engraved stone in the center and the encrypted letters reacted to the Soul Crystal inside of her, returning the burning sensation to her entire body. The spirit didn't phase a bit as her body completely solidified and her mouth can move once more. After a few minutes of regaining control of her body, Serenity opened her eyes to see more spirits approaching her, detached from their physical forms.

"That was overkill, you know." Arios snorted.

"The girl possesses great potential, but lacks the will to use that very power lurking within her."

"Whatever." Arios sighed. "Don't blame me for the Soul Crystal's choosing. And when are you going to track that fucking, idiotic guardian of mine?"

"**I see that you were exposed to many things during your transition."**

"Cut the crap, and tell her what she needs to do before I blow a cap in your spiritual asses." Arios demanded.

"_As expected, the girl will endure the Trial of Strength first thing tomorrow morning. Arrive at this location no later than noon."_

'What have I gotten myself into?' Serenity thought.

Well, no turning back Serenity. And the training that she will endure will be one experience that she'll never forget.

* * *

Finally done! And why am I losing my writing groove again? Must...find...inspiration!

R&R, people!


	11. Chapter 11

Argh! Life's always getting in the way of letting me finish these chapters! So, let's cut to the chase and start on the eleventh chapter of One Touch, One Kiss!

_Chapter 11- The Trial of Strength, Part 2_

* * *

-At the unknown lands, 11:36 a.m.-

"Crap, crap, crap!" Serenity chanted. "Why didn't you wake me up?"

"Hmm, let me see...It's not in my fucking job description!" Arios shouted, aggravated.

"I'm so late! I'm never late to anything!" Serenity yelled.

"There's a first for everything." Arios joked.

"Not funny." Serenity said.

It was almost time for her first ever trial to prove her worth of owning the Soul Crystal, and apparently having some of her brother's genes made her slept in late and rushing to get everything ready to face the spirit's judgment. Serenity was always an early bird to anywhere she had to go, but since she arrived very late to the location yesterday, her energy levels in her body made her very sleepy. Now, running as fast as she could, Serenity ran out of the cave she was forced to stay at and in the direction of the arena of where her first trial was set to begin.

At times of the night, she felt uneasy about leaving everyone that cared about her. But, what choice did she have? The memory of her fight with the Shadow-Hunters was still fresh in her mind, knowing that she didn't want Joey injured because of her inability to protect him. Serenity was never a fighter; she was a peacekeeper at all times. With the craziness that she inherited ever since obtaining the Soul Crystal , she will have no choice but to break out of the protective shell that she held herself in from everyday life.

Finally arriving with almost two minutes to spare, Serenity stood holding her legs to catch her breath while the spirit appeared in front of her with a scowl on her face. Apparently, tardiness was contagious for supernatural spirits.

"Damn, those idiots are late! It is so hard for spirit judges to come on time?" Arios complained.

'I think Kaiba's attitude is starting to influence her too much.' Serenity thought.

"Hey, your fault for looking at the guy." Arios stated.

"It's not my fault! I needed to convince him that someone's life is more important than what he had planned in his mind." Serenity countered.

"Please, your hormones played a part of that transition." Arios scoffed.

"My emotions have nothing to do with my personality!" Serenity countered. '...Did it?'

"You know that I can read your mind, right?" Arios inquired.

"Can't you at least respect my privacy while we're separate?" Serenity suggested.

"Never." Arios said.

Serenity sighed. This was definitely going to be the longest trip ever in her life.

At the stroke of high noon, the pillars surrounding the field beamed green rays as it transformed itself into an arena based on the conditions of the first trial that she had to endure. Serenity tried to hold her ground as a blue, spellbinding ring encased itself around the pillars and locking her inside. The spirit judges that she met yesterday reappeared in front of, with Arios showing her teeth in anger and annoyed by the fact that they had the nerve to show up this belatedly into the schedule that she planned.

"Is this bullshit going to continue every time I get a new host?" Arios scowled.

"**We have to...modify the test at the last minute due to unnecessary circumstances."**

"Unnecessary my ass." Arios scoffed. "Let's get this thing over with so I don't have to listen to Whiner over here about her life every day."

"Hey! You chose to enter my life by your own decisions!" Serenity countered.

"_That's quite enough. Now, onto the trial at hand. You, young girl, have been chosen by the Soul Crystal to wield its' overwhelming power to protect the dark forces that have descended upon us from eons ago. These three trials will determine whether or not you have the potential to defend this world from those who will do anything in their own power to destroy the fabrication of life of which was built with the principles that guided mankind to the present of today."_

"**The Trial of Strength will test your willpower to overcome the enemies of which will be created within this circle from the pillars that are now encased for your trial. The spirit of the crystal cannot be able to help you once the trials began. You must use the crystal's power on your own if you want to pass these trials. This trial shall now commence."**

"Wait...what?" Serenity said, befuddledby the sudden transition of control.

As the spirits disappeared, the pillars themselves morphed into golems wielding stone swords, staffs, and maces. The eyes shone dark blue and started attacking Serenity, which she tried to dodge the massive giants from their deranged nature. Blow after blow, she tried to gain any cover, but the giants were faster than they appeared and destroyed everything until there was nothing left. She panicked inside; there was nothing to help her protect herself and fear overcame her bravery as the stone giants struck down with tremendous force that pushed her back into a corner.

Throughout her mind, memories of her childhood came back haunting about the things that the people around her said about her abilities...

"_What a spineless baby! Can't do anything without your big brother, huh?"_

"_...truly a coward! Do you think that you can actually become a leader in this world?"_

"_You're too weak to even finish a marathon!...What a frail body!"_

"_You're nothing more than just worthless luggage being dragged around. Who would want such a crybaby like you?"_

"_Poor little girl is so scared that she has even her own friends defend her!"_

She couldn't take the words that kept repeating inside her head; it was too much for her to handle. She was all on her own, and nobody was here to help her with what was transpiring now. But, Serenity realized that even if her friends and family helped her now, what would had she learned from her experience of the events? The words of the past would continue to repeat and she decided that the person back then had to disappear. Then, at the moment the giant was about to strike, she literally grabbed the stone arm at the wrist and lifted it through her own will, then throwing it over the other golems, letting it crash into another one and crumbling into pieces.

Her whole demeanor changed once Serenity realized that the Soul Crystal resonated with her even without the spirit inside of her. Did it really respond to her willpower within her soul to help with her training? Has the will to become independent from those that she clung onto push Serenity to reach a point of control? Was is that deep down in her heart that she wanted to survive and protect those near dear to her very life?

The golems regenerated again from the rubble, and started charging right at Serenity with their weapons once more. Using the Soul Crystal to summon forth a diamond rapier, and clenching tightly in her right hand, Serenity dashed her way through the open pathway, slashing every single golem with her weapon until neither of them redeveloped again. The blue circle that enclosed her at the start of the trial vanished into thin air, and the rapier disappeared, with her body dropping onto the ground and trying to catch her breath as well as sinking in everything that just happened to her.

The spirits were surprised; to think such a major transition could transpire in a short manner of time could mean that Serenity was no ordinary girl. The spirit of the Soul Crystal just scoffed at the motion of her host finishing her first trail so quickly. Serenity stared at her 'other' self and a sigh escaped her lips. Seto's personality was really getting the relationship between the two out of sync.

"**I myself had not seen someone control the Soul Crystal, let alone master it on their own in such a short matter of time. I believe that somehow a person's past could lead to a dramatic change in ability."**

"Just because she can wield herself a weapon out of her own will doesn't mean she can fully control the true power of the Soul Crystal." Arios sneered.

"_Maybe...But, it's only the first trial. This girl has the willpower to combat the enemy, but unless she has the other two components to fully master the gem itself, the Soul Crystal will not be able to unleash its' full potential. For now, she has passed the first trial. The Trial of Endurance will be announced soon."_

"Let the girl rest; she won't be able to perform at a hundred percent if she's this tired." Arios suggested.

"**As you wish; but you're responsible for her well-being."**

"Piss off!" Arios shouted.

'At least she's making me get some rest, but I feel so uneasy about the next trial.' Serenity thought. 'If this trial was all about willpower, what would I need to do to survive the next challenge?'

* * *

**Ugh, finally done after so many months! I seriously need a drink after this!**

**R&R, people!**


End file.
